Kevin Bronson on April 19th, 2011

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Who: Foster the People in the Gobi Tent
In 3 or Fewer Words: Pumped up kids.
I’ll Remember This Until: They play sold-out shows at the El Rey Theatre July 7 and 8. Los Angeles fans who caught their January residency at the Echo (the fans who don’t get starry-eyed over one hit single, that is) knew that Foster the People, the band built around songwriter Mark Foster, were a work in progress. Eyebrows raised when their name turned up on the Coachella bill – catchy songs (and the best whistling part since “Young Folks”), but a bit stiff onstage. Can they deliver? Judging from Sunday evening’s late-starting set, the answer is a resounding yes. Playing to an overflow crowd in reminiscent of the 2010 gathering for Local Natives in the very same Gobi Tent, FTP delivered a breakthrough performance to youthful revelers who seemed to regard the frontman as a T-shirted Timberlake. Inhabiting his songs as he hadn’t as of a few months ago, Foster rotated from keyboards to percussion to guitar during the charged 50-minute set, and looked as if he was having as much fun performing as his fans were listening. FTP’s debut album “Torches” is due out May 24, and by the end of the summer your friends who listen to pop radio will probably know who Foster the People are.
What I’d Tell My Friends Who Wondered Why I Wasn’t at the Start of the National’s Set: I’m running as fast as my creaky legs can carry me.
– K.B.